2. Game of Thrones
George R. R. Martin’s epic fantasy series never struggled with ratings or viewing figures, but 2013 was the year the show truly went stratospheric, going from the most talked about cult show on television to the most talked about show full stop. If not for Breaking Bad’s dominance of all cultural conversation, Game of Thrones would have had a clean sweep of every television in the world. Calling it a fantasy series always feels like a misnomer, as the elements of that genre – dragons, magic – that it does feature in abundance, are never the focus of proceedings. How the show achieved the popularity it has is by retaining the depth and intricacy of the novels, while making the actual driving force of the show the double-dealings and brutality that are part of daily life in the seven kingdoms of Westeros.
If nothing else, the legacy of season three is the so-called Red Wedding (seen below). The defining moment of the series so far, the bloodshed of the executions of the entire Stark family had catastrophic consequences that reverberate across all of the seven kingdoms. Revenge by Lord Walder Frey for Robb Stark’s reneging on a marriage pact he made for help during a battle with the Lannisters, the massacre ends the northern rebellion against the House Lannister, given that the now-dead Robb Stark was proclaimed King in the North. It shocked the entire audience, which at that point had still been holding onto the idea that the Starks would be reunited at some point, having separated early into season one. Alas, it wasn’t to be.
Season three also focused on the Lannisters’ struggle to consolidate power and hold Kings Landing while Daenareys gained (or took by force) power and support across Essos. We finished the series on a spectacular note, with Daenerys having sacked Astapor and the Unsullied claiming her as “mother”, clearly preparing to move towards Yunkai and eventually across the sea to regain the iron throne. Anyone who’s read the books will know where that eventually leads, but that’s not to say that it’s not still worth watching – there’s enough difference between the two media to justify the adaptation, and it’s interesting to note just how much has been changed in the transition from novel to series.
Certain plot points that seem awfully important in the novels have been jettisoned for the TV series, leading many readers to question how the series will deal with this. Only time will tell. Season four starts in early 2014, so there’s only a few months to go before we find out what happens next. It’s safe to say that anticipation is high, and we’re sure that we won’t be disappointed